Quint: We Love This Game

I've played or reported on lacrosse for much of my life, and some things have stuck with me. Here are just a few things that I — and other lovers of the game — look forward to each week (narrated via video, or written out below):

We love the silent bus ride before battle Team meals with family Face paint

Franklin Field, The Dome, Homewood Field, Klockner Stadium

Slipping the jersey over shoulder pads The emotional pre-game speech Walking out of the tunnel, two-by-two in line

The Notre Dame bagpipe The smell of sausages and popcorn on a warm Saturday The energy and music in the air during warmups

How fast you feel on Saturdays

The pep band at UVa, Princeton, Cornell and Hopkins The Maryland flag The rabid Loyola student body Garber's Gorillas at UMass

Rivalry games: Army-Navy, Maryland-Hopkins and Duke-UNC Mascots like Otto the Orange The War on the Shore

Seeing the next generation at games with their sticks We love honoring the sport's Native American origin And that all shapes and sizes can play the game, with lacrosse goals sprouting up in Arkansas, Louisiana and Wisconsin. The collegiate growth at Michigan, Marquette, Richmond and Furman.

The tradition of No. 21 worn by George Boiardi at Cornell The legacy of No. 22 at Syracuse

Butterflies in the stomach The sound of the whistle at the opening face-off Speed, power and skill We love turning the corner and taking the extra step to greatness

1-2-3-4 We Want More! The Terrapin mosh pit Smurfy ball boys on the end line

An old-school midfielder who runs shifts at both ends And is a true student-athlete

We love the way the crowd comes to their feet anticipating a fast break A give-and-go, pinch-and-pop, pick-and-roll, multiple-pass goals

Unspoken communication between teammates on the same page The unselfish assist The chess match between offense and defense We love coaches who make the winning halftime adjustment

We love chest bumps, fist pumps and high fives And the momentum-changing save We love parity and weekly upsets

The flowery transformation of campus in April Sun dresses and sunglasses Championship week, the conference tournament finals for the AQ We love seeing the NCAA brackets on Selection Sunday

The intensity of a playoff groundball A team catching fire and making a run Tailgating during Memorial Day Weekend ESPN's Skycam

We love the national anthem on Memorial Day The loudest crowd ever, here to watch us play The tension of overtime Celebratory dog piles and Gatorade baths The show of sportsmanship, shaking hands after the game

We love victory laps, hoisting the trophy, and cutting down the net We love that you get, what you earn

We love the game

Quint Kessenich writes every Friday during the lacrosse season for The Baltimore Sun. What do you love about the game? Share with him on Twitter @QKessenich.